Dimples, an admired beauty trait which appears on the cheeks of some people, have been categorized as a birth abnormality by cosmetic surgeons!

Dimples are a purely genetic trait. (Source: Getty Images)

As defined by Genetic Australia, “When a person smiles, the shorter muscle on the face pulls up the facial skin. This, in turn, creates a slight depression in the skin, which is called a dimple.”

Anatomically, most people are unaware that this depression is actually a genetic defect formed under the cheek structure, caused by shortened facial muscles called zygomaticus.

Dimples are inherited facial traits that are passed from one generation to the next. (Source: Getty Images)

According to PubMed Health, zygomaticus is a ‘major muscle of a facial expression. It raises the corners of the mouth when a person smiles. Dimples may be caused by variations in the structure of this muscle.’

Zygomaticus is ’caused by a fault in the subcutaneous connective tissue that develops in course of the embryonic development.’

Darren Smith, a New York City-based plastic surgeon told Allure, “The reason some people have dimples and others don’t is that they are born with a tight connection between the facial muscles and skin, while others just don’t have this kind of anatomy.”

Dimpleplasty is the new plastic surgery “trend” among millennials. (Source: Getty Images)

Due to an increase in the new plastic surgery trend, Dimpleplasty, millennials have started changing their face by under-going surgical procedures to create artificial dimples. Although dimpleplasty has been around for more than 30 years, it recently gained popularity among young women in the last few years, who thrive to look as attractive as their dimple-cheeked celebrity icons, Kate Middleton and Cheryl Cole.

The surgical procedure requires ‘making a cut in skin around the mouth and stitching the underside of the skin to a deeper layer to create a small depression. The suture holding the skin in place dissolves to leave the patient with a permanent scar to maintain the dimple.’

Duchess of Cambridge has natural dimples and has become quite the beauty icon. (Source: Getty Images)

Despite it being a stopgap, dimpleplasty can cause post-surgical damages to the face. According to Wright Jones, an Atlanta based plastic surgeon, “Patients are left with semi-permanent dimples for about one to two months along with mild swelling and soreness.”

Eventually, the swelling settles, but Jones has warned that there may be risks involved, leading to permanent damage.

According to Fox News, there has been an increase in the number of inquiries regarding dimpleplasty, from women who wanted a smile like UK pop singer, Cole. The increase in inquiries resulted in an 11 percent interest raise for the company.

Cosmetic surgeons have warned women against these artificial strategies. One of the disadvantages to receiving “designer dimples” is that they stay on the face permanently, while natural dimples only appear when smiling.

A spokesman for plastic surgeons, SurgiCare, said, “As the skin ages and loses elasticity, there is no telling how the scars will look as the face begins to droop — designer dimples could become designer disasters within a matter of years.”

Duchess of Cambridge is one of the ideals for dimples as a beauty trait. (Source: WireImage)

Interestingly, this genetic malformation is highly appraised by people, as some cultures tend to admire dimples on cheeks and consider them appealing.